25 July 2015

I don't write a lot of reviews, mostly because I am a brandwhore and nobody wants to listen to another Angelic Pretty review. But this time I felt really excited to write one. I have never heard of this indie brand before a post popped up on the Lolita Updates facebook page about an upcoming release of theirs. I hemmed and hawed for weeks until I decided to take the plunge and order from them.

I couldn't find any reviews on DaisyDaisy, so this might be really helpful to anyone interested in purchasing from them in the future.

My order consisted of the Candy Balloons OP and matching Candy in the Sky necklace. I feel like I'm the only one in the world who likes this dress! Both my mom and my boyfriend gave me "it's cute", which we all know means they don't like it but want to be supportive... But I had been eyeing it for a long time and loved it despite being the only one around me feeling that way. I'm dressing for myself, so what I think is what matters right?

The ordering process - 5/5

DaisyDaisy takes all orders by email, which is okay because it prevents any mis-ordering and prompt communication. I love that everything on their Facebook page and website is in English as well as Korean, which is really friendly to overseas buyers. I was initially afraid she wouldn't ship to me in the United States, but it never rose as an issue. On the product pages themselves, a reasonable EMS price is provided. There aren't any other shipping options listed, but I didn't ask if they would ship out with any other method.

I first messaged her account on Facebook asking if "*custom sizing available" meant length and if she could tell me what the current length of the bodice was. She answered politely saying she could make it to any size and told me what the length for the skirt and whole dress was. I could do the math myself easily enough. The reason why I wanted custom sizing was because the dress on the model looked to be high-waisted, which I know I am not a fan off on my body shape. I was so excited to be able to give her the length of my favorite-lengthed BTSSB dress and bodice for to her adjust this dress to.

When I sent in the formal request to her email, every reply was fast and concise. She had me confirm the measurements and sent out a paypal request.

Manufacturing and shipping time- 5/5

It says on the website and in her email to expect 3-4 weeks to make the dress - custom or not. I'm neutral about the bespoke aspect of her business. Some people don't like to wait, and some people appreciate that each dress is made individually for them.

I sent in my payment June 19th, and she emailed me July 17th saying that my items were shipped out with my tracking number. Four weeks on the nose! Of course, EMS being as fast as it usually is, got my dress to my door on July 20th.

Communication - 5/5

I can only say good things about communicating with DaisyDaisy. Since I don't have any complaints, there isn't much to say at all. Every message and email was prompt, polite, and accomodating.

Here is a quote from one of her emails to me: "If there are any questions, feel free to write to me anytime. I will be happy to hear from you! :)" I just thought it was kind of her to say, even if communication is a given with any business.

Quality and overall fit - 5/5

I have nothing bad to say about the quality! The fabric is really soft, almost like pear-skin. The entire dress is fully lined, and extremely comfortable.

The fit... She made the dress exactly to the size I asked for, custom length and all. Unfortunately, I should have added a few extra centimeters onto my request for the bodice because it still is not at my natural waist. But it is definitely better than it would have been! I wish she would have added lacing to the back shirring to help pull it in a bit. When I first tried it on, I felt like I looked wider than I really am, and I like showing off my small waist. The cheap ribbon sent to me for a waist tie won't be much good for that purpose.

Conclusions

I would definitely recommend DaisyDaisy! Everything got 5/5 from me, and I am immensely satisfied with my purchase. Do I think the price is justified? Of course. The seams are all pressed, the stitches perfectly straight, everything is fully lined, and there are no misprints. It is a good deal to get anything custom sized for no extra cost. She even threw in a small bow clip as a surprise~

I have one small issue with this transaction. The necklace I bought for $20, I saw later on Storenvy for $8 from a Taobao reseller. I don't know what the details are about these products, but it was a little discomforting to see that...

Nevertheless, please check out my unboxing video down below, and I hope you consider ordering from DaisyDaisy yourself:

20 July 2015

One of the girls in my local community, and now a wonderful friend, Tessa hosted a small meetup in her friend's apartment in San Francisco. Her friend Mouse(?) and she had previously had private afternoon teas for just the two of them, and Tessa had the idea to host one for our comm. There were five of us Lolitas at the beautifully-set table, with Mouse and another friend serving us the homemade tea service.

I really loved the small gathering, with only a handful of guests it is much easier to get to know one another. I don't like attending big meetups for one reason: it is really easy to get left out and feel overwhelmed by jumping between conversations and acquaintances. I never had a chance to talk in depth with these girls, and I enjoyed the opportunity to. Tessa said she was thinking of hosting more like these in the future, and I will try to attend every one!

I apologize in advance for the quality of the photos, I had to email them to myself from my phone since I forgot my camera. And of course, the quality greatly degraded through the magic waves of the internet!

Our teas for the afternoon were Earl Grey, Passion Fruit, Rose, and a butter Oolong.

First course was a wonderful cauliflower soup with ground pepper and locally baked fresh bread.

Second course was fresh berries from the farmers' market and homemade whipped cream.

Main course included crumpets, lemon & ginger scones, pumkpin scones, and three different sandwiches that all had cheese (and therefore inedible to me, haha).

For dessert we had rosemary shortbread cookies and a mysterious mouse-shaped cookie. I was too full to try it, but I do regret not tasting such a cute treat!

Tessa was such a sweetie, she even had prepared some cute goodie bags for us to take home!

08 July 2015

Although the photo above is not of a specifically Lolita brand, I have been in my fair share of Lolita fashion shows. In fact, I have been in five to this date. I have modeled for MILK, Innocent World, and Ivy Frozen (for three times!). Unfortunately I haven't been able to travel far for fashion shows, so I have been limited to local ones. I hope to change this in the future!

I feel extremely lucky to have been able to be a model for these wonderful brands. There are so many aspiring Lolita models, and not everybody has the chance to hit the runway. I hope my personal experience encourages you to follow your dreams and unveils the reality of being a Lolita model.

My first fashion show was for Ivy Frozen, a wonderful local girl who has an Etsy here, at the Fanime Indie Designer Lolita Fashion Show a few years ago. A mouthful right? Well it went alright, I was super nervous as a total beginner, but it was low-key and casual. Our audience was small, and my designer was kind and accomodating. She allowed us to bring our own wigs or style our own hair/makeup. A few weeks before the show she emailed all of us asking to visit her for a fitting and told us what color shoes to bring. The application process was simple, someone posted a model call on our Facebook group. I sent in an email with my measurements and a few photos.

The other two times I've modeled at Fanime for Ivy Frozen were pretty similar, except I'm proud that we've begun to get some international indie brands in addition to local designers! This year we had Haenuli for a second time, and the Kawaii Ambassador for Mexico brought us Lief and White Forest. The Fanime shows really aren't competitive, and are much more casual than new models expect.

The shows at J-Pop Summit and PMX were a bit different. The model casting call appeared a couple months in advance, and it took weeks for them to respond. If you're planning on applying to model, be prepared for long response times. They go through a lot of applications, be patient~

When I modeled for MILK at J-Pop Summit 2013, we had a fitting and orientation/practice day the day (or a week, I can't remember!) before the actual show. In the beginning I was a bit disappointed to be chosen for MILK instead of Innocent World, but I learned to be appreciative of being chosen and to discover my love for the brand itself. The girls who were chosen for Innocent World had all sent in photos of them in Lolita, so that is definitely a factor when designers are choosing their models.

Modeling for Innocent World at PMX 2014 was exciting but also... different. We had no fittings, and only met the morning of the show. The hotel we were at wouldn't allow us to bring food inside the ballroom, but we couldn't leave once we were dressed. Ladies, bring snack bars and bottled water! I was lucky I did because one of my new friends had a health concern that would have been problematic without food....

Luckily Ms. Fujiwara had her personal translator which helped move our own group along smoothly. I don't think any of the other brands' designers had come with the clothes. She was so sweet, tying our waist-ties herself and constantly adjusting our petticoats, accessories, and hair. I felt like she was a mother-hen carefully looking out for her precious babies, the way she kept perfecting our outfits! After the show she thanked us all individually and gladly took selfies with each of us.

Modeling is tough! It is physically and emotionally tiring because 90% of fashion shows consist of waiting around. Waiting for everyone to arrive, waiting for makeup artists, waiting for hair stylists, waiting for outfit inspections, waiting for practice runs, waiting for professional photos, waiting for the show to start, waiting for your turn on the runway, waiting for the show to end. So much waiting!

But it is also so rewarding. I have made friends from these shows, gained a lot of experiences and memories, and got to meet wonderful designers and models from Japan.

A few words for aspiring models:

You are working for the show, not the other way around. This probably sounds harsher than I intend, but it is true. You have to be okay with not getting accepted to the brand you want, or even the show at all. It is such an honor to be selected by designers personally to represent their brands. When I modeled for MILK, my shoes were waaaaay too small and hurt my feet the entire day. But I sucked it up because there was nothing they could do. You won't get paid, and usually won't get a convention badge either.

Model calls will generally ask you for the following on your application: age, height, measurements, previous modeling experience, visible tattoos, shoe size, and various photos (headshot with little/no makeup, full-body, etc). Unfortunately, some designers have a height requirement and/or a maximum shoe size. There's not much you can do about that except wait for another show. But always apply anyways, you never know!

Finally, make the most out of your experience as you can! Being a Lolita model is so much fun, and is worth it to make friends and maybe meet your inspirations.

Do you have any experiences that were different than mine? Anything you'd like to add? Let me know in the comments, because nobody's experience is the same. I hope that mine helps you achieve your dreams~